Jay has been running since he realized he was the least-coordinated person on the planet and couldn't possibly play a sport that involved a stick or a ball. He has run 5 marathons with a PR of 2:40:28, finishing in the top 100 of the 2012 Boston Marathon. He is proudest of his 2012 NYC Half-Marathon PR of 1:11:19.

10/15/2012

Training Talk: Meb Keflezighi Talks PRs and Another NYC Win

Weeks after finishing fourth
in the London Olympic Marathon, Meb Keflezighi was in familiar territory, doing
an easy recovery run in Central Park. As
the world-class runner effortlessly breezed by other runners, few realized they
were being passed by one of the most accomplished American distance runners of
all time in a park he has made his playground over the past decade.

Keflezighi lives and trains
in Mammoth Lakes, California but New York City is his running home. He ran his first ING New York City Marathon
in 2002 finishing as the top American in 9th place with a time of
2:12:35. Seven years later, Keflezighi
lowered his time by more than three minutes and was again the first American,
but this time he was the first American to win the race since Alberto Salazar
in 1982.

At 37, Keflezighi believes
his fastest marathons are still ahead of him.
“I really believe I can win New York again,” he said after an elaborate
stretching and drill session on the Central Park Bridle Path. “Last year was definitely the year probably I
said ‘no I cannot win’ because Geoffrey Mutai ran phenomenal, but I still
believe I can run 2:07, 2:08 on this course.”

Mutai set the course record
in last year’s race and went on to win the World Marathon Majors – a series of
marathons that also includes Berlin, Boston, Chicago and London. He is not currently entered in this year’s
race. Still, Keflezighi will have stiff
competition. Kenyans Moses Mosop and
Wilson Kipsang both have 2:03 marathons to their names. Fellow American Olympic Marathon runner Abdi
Abdirahman is also in the field.

But betting against Keflezighi
is never a smart bet. Before the Olympic
trials in 2011, Nike ended their partnership with the runner. He signed with industry newcomer Sketchers. Still, many saw the aging marathoner as a
long shot to make the Olympic team. Keflezighi
won the race and set a new personal best.
In London, all of the focus was on teammate Ryan Hall. Despite finishing second to Keflezighi at the
trials, most considered Hall, who holds the fastest marathon time ever run by
an American, America’s best shot at a medal.
On the starting line, the field announcer did not even mention Keflezighi’s
name. Keflezighi said this was surprising since
he was the only medalist in the field (Keflezighi won the silver in the 2004
Athens Games.) “I could see my wife in the stands and she was upset, and I was
upset…I wanted to make sure I let them know I’m a factor and got to the front,”
he said. Hall dropped out of the
race. Keflezighi picked off five runners
in the last seven miles of the race to miss the podium by just one place.

It was an impressive finish
especially considering that was also about the time Keflezighi started thinking
seriously about dropping out of the race all together. He says the cobblestones on the London racecourse
were causing his feet to hurt and blister. “About 17
or 18 miles I just said ‘You know what? I have New York coming up. I already have
an Olympic Silver medal. Why am I doing
this? I need to stop’,” Keflezighi
recalled. Keflezighi was unaware that
teammates Hall and Abdirahman had already called it quits, but said a promise
he made during a pre-race press conference to represent America the best he
could kept him in the race. With five
kilometers to go, Keflezighi passed by long-time coach Bob Larsen. “I heard Coach Larsen say ‘sixth place’…and I
got more energy and I just kept pushing and pushing,” Keflezighi said. ”You go through the good phase, and the bad phase.
If you prevail in the bad phase you will succeed.”

After London, Keflezighi took
his standard two weeks off. His run in
the park in late August was one of his first since the race. “Meb!,” an excited fan yelled as he met with
a WABC camera crew outside of Tavern on the Green. Keflezighi says even
hardcore fans have trouble with his last name. (It’s pronounced Kef-lez-ghee) “It’s an honor to be recognized and sometimes they
say Meb, or ‘you’re the marathon guy’ so that’s why I have marathon Meb.”

To hear Keflezighi talk about
his love for New York, it’s hard to imagine he won’t run well on November 4th. He stays in the same hotel every time he
comes here. He only runs in Central
Park. Jay-Z’s “New York” is on his
running playlist. He has dinner with his
doctor, an orthopedist who’s Upper East Side office has Keflezighi’s picture
hanging in the waiting room.

“I love the big apple. I love
it here,” Keflezighi beams. “The reason I
keep coming back to New York is because the New York Road Runners have done a
fabulous job supporting me, U.S distance running and many other training groups
around the country. So if I’m going to
be anywhere running 26 miles, I wouldn’t want to be
anywhere else but New York.”

Beyond the New York City
Marathon, Keflezighi is vague about his future plans. He says he wans to focus on his wife and
three young daughters, but he won’t rule out trying to run in Rio in 2016. He still believes he can set a personal best
in the marathon and the half-marathon.
“My job is to do the best that I can for as long as possible,” he
said. “I feel like 99% of my career has
been fulfilled. I got out what I wanted to get out of it. But my God-given talent tells me there’s still
more in the tank.”